The Past ReVisited
by StratusfyingOrton
Summary: COMPLETE The sequel to 'Not Like This'. When a familiar face reemerages, will Randy and Trish's happiness survive or will their family fall apart under pressure?
1. Default Chapter

AN: Okay, I've finally got the first chapter up of the sequel to 'Not Like This'. First off, thank you guys for making 'NLT' such a success and secondly, I hope you guys enjoy the sequel. I've got some things in mind of what I wanna do. As for my 'Save the Last Dance' readers...I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I promise I'm gonna try really hard to get something up by this weekend.

Last but not least...Please read and review! Enjoy.

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Trish stood outside the men's room for a couple of minutes, waiting for Joshua to come out.

'What is he doing so long…he just needed to wash his hands' Trish thought to herself as she began to get worried. She was about to throw caution to the wind and march into the men's room but Joshua made his way out.

"What took you so long?" Trish asked as she once again, bent down and attempted to fix her son up. The kid was always a mess.

"Sorry…I decided to use the bathroom while I was in there…."

"Oh…okay" Trish mumbled as she was too busy tucking his shirt into his pants.

"Oh look, Kevin's dad's here" Joshua said looking down at his busy mother before waving over the older man.

"Hey…." Joshua greeted the man.

"Mom…this is Kevin's dad….Mr. C, this is my mom, Trish" Joshua introduced. Trish quickly retied his shoelace, stood up and straightened her skirt before wanting to look up and properly meet "Mr. C". With a smile plastered on her face, and her hand stuck out, poised for a handshake, she began,

"Hi, How are y….." but when Trish looked up, her voice trailed off and her face immediately fell into shock.

"Hi Trish" he said with a friendly smile.

"A…Adam….?"

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"What the bloody hell is taking them so long, I'm starving" Matt whined as Amy sent him a stern glare.

"Shut up….maybe if you had to deal with taking the kids to the bathroom and having to clean up after them, you'd know why it took so long" Amy shot back, to which Matt pouted and slouched down in his seat. Amy leaned over and gave him a peck on the lips to let him know that she wasn't mad at him. He smiled in return and sat straight up, eagerly waiting for Trish and Joshua to return to the table.

"You know what guys….I'm gonna go see what's taking them so long" Randy said, getting up from his seat.

"Oh don't bother, I''ll do it" Amy interrupted, as she stood as well.

"I've gotta run to the bathroom anyway, I'll see what's going on" she said. Randy sent a grateful nod her way and sat back down in his chair.

"Knowing Trish, she probably managed to meet someone she hasn't seen in a long time… that girl seems to know people all around the world…she's a popular little thing. I bet you, she's probably talking up a storm with them right and she's completely forgetten all about us…her starving family and friends!" Matt said playfully.

Randy leaned forward and grabbed one of the dinner rolls and pelted it his way.

"If there's anything I can say about you Matt, it's that you certainly have an imagination…who the hell is Trish gonna meet all the way here in Mexico? The only time she's here is for work and that's a full time gig as it is, she barely has any time to socialize with the schedule Vince gives her".

"Well, maybe you're right, but I'm running out of reasons that could be valid enough for her to have us here waiting for her while we starve ourselves silly…it's not like her" Matt commented before he decided to make use of the dinner roll that was just previously used as a weapon.

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"Trish there you are, what the hell is taking you so lon….." Amy's words died on her lips, and she was sure that her heart had stopped beating when she saw the scene before her. She blinked her eyes repeatedly before once again returning her gaze to the tall figure standing in front of Trish and Joshua. The same tall figure that had now turned around and was facing her after her interruption.

"Trish….." Amy managed to get her voice back and she cautiously walked over to Trish and Joshua, standing close by to the shorter blonde.

"What's going on?" Amy asked vaguely, knowing from the initial look that Trish sent her, Trish didn't want Joshua to pick up on anything.

"Nothing Aunt Amy, I introduced mom to my friend's dad, Mr. C and he was just telling us about his visit in Mexico so far….he even bought me a gift…I can't wait to see what it is!" Joshua raved excitedly.

"Oh…where's my manners, Mr. C, this is my wickedly cool Aunt Amy that I was telling you about over the summer…you'll get to meet her equally wicked husband, Uncle Matt and you'll get to meet my dad too, they're all waiting at the dinner table for us" Joshua said sweetly.

Amy's eyes grew large as she realized that Adam was the dinner guest that Joshua had told Trish about.

"Uhhhh, ummm, Josh, I just wanna tell your mom something okay?" Amy said as she gave the little boy a sweet smile before pulling Trish away from them. She had made sure not to look Adam's way because she was sure that she wouldn't be able to hide her disgust for him.

"You can't seriously consider letting Adam have dinner with us" Amy said softly and through clenched teeth.

It wasn't rocket science for her to see that Trish was visibly in shock and she was sure that she was probably having all of those traumatic memories come rushing back to her. It was only natural being in her situation right now.

"Amy, I don't know what to do…how can I completely dismiss Adam without Joshua becoming suspicious? He's had his heart set on having all of us meet this cool Mr. C…I can't believe I didn't put it all together before…" Trish admonished herself while burying her face in her hands.

"Hey, don't beat yourself up, I never picked up on anything when Josh used to mention about his friend Kevin and his dad, Mr. C….if you're gonna blame yourself, then I'm equally as guilty... So what do we do?" Amy asked as she glanced at Josh and Adam from the corner of her eye.

"We play along…" Trish sighed defeated.

"What!…are you crazy?…you cannot possibly even consider going through with this Trish. You may have moved on with your life, but there is no need why you should unnecessarily be put through hell again and be reminded of what that low-life bastard did to you!" Amy said fiercely.

"I know you're just being protective of me Amy, but this is my son we're talking about. He's too young to understand any of this and I honestly thought that he would never have to know…but that's obviously not how things are gonna happen, now are they?. Yes, this is painful for me, but I will not risk exposing my son to something like this…he's just not ready, so even if that means that I've got a plaster a smile on my face and pretend that Adam is as jolly as Old Saint Nick, then I'll do it" Trish replied tearfully. Amy embraced her with a hug before pulling away and informing Trish that she should come back out to the table in 5 minutes.

Amy figured that five minutes was enough time to quickly explain to the guys what happened and let them know Trish's reasoning for having Adam for dinner. She knew they would put their feelings aside for Josh and the rest of the kids at the table…but first, she had to get to them to warn them, otherwise all hell would break loose.

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"Hey, we were starting to get worried about you also…so where's Trish and Josh" Matt asked smiling before turning around in his seat, expecting to see his friend and nephew making their way over back to the table.

"Actually, that's what I needed to talk to you guys about….." Amy's voice trailed off as she scrunched her face in confusion and turned around, as though she was looking for something.

"What's the matter?" Matt asked, as she grabbed another dinner roll from the new basket they had requested.

"I just noticed that Randy isn't here…where the hell is Randy?" she asked frantically as she craned her neck to look over the sea of people, hoping to spot a tall, built, brunette somewhere among the crowd.

"Relax…what's got your panties in a bunch?…..We thought it would be nice to have the DJ play both are songs so we could have a dance together…he just went to arrange things with the DJ" Matt responded, half worried and half confused about his wife's behaviour.

"Ewwww, daddy….don't talk about mom's panties…" the twins, Jessica and Ryan said in unison.

Their father gave them an apologetic smile and returned his gaze to his wife, who was now looking complete hysterical.

"Ames…you're really worrying me now, what's going on?" Matt inquired as he stood from his seat and drew his wife closer to him.

"Matt…you wouldn't believe the devastating coincidence I just stumbled upon…I need to talk to Randy and you both and…." Amy stopped to look at her watch.

'Shit, I've got less than a minute' she thought. She knew for a fact that Trish would be uncomfortable and she would be counting down five minutes to the wire.

"I don't have much time" Amy finished. Her son and daughter looked at her with worry.

"So get it out already mom…since it's bugging you so much" Ryan responded wisely.

Before she could respond to her son's advice, Randy walked up to the table.

"Everything's set" he said to Matt and then he turned his attention to Amy.

"Glad to see that you didn't get lost as well…so where's my wife and son?" he asked good naturedly.

"About that…" Amy began.

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Trish stood arms crossed and leaning against the wall, as she looked at Joshua and Adam interact. She decided that instead of having to participate in conversation with Adam, she would much rather have him keep his attention on Josh and their conversation.

She hoped that Amy was doing a good job of getting Randy and Matt to calm down because there was no way in hell she was going to spend a second longer than five minutes standing out in the corridor with this man.

She looked down at her white gold and diamond watch, one that Randy had bought her for her birthday.

'Thank God…time's up' she thought.

She cleared her throat and when she got their attention, she kept her eyes directed at her son.

"I think we should head back to the table now…I'm sure everyone's probably going mad with hunger by now" she said with a forced smile.

"Sure mom, let's go" Josh said joyfully and his mother held on to his left hand. He turned to Adam and using his right hand, grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him along.

"I can't wait for you to meet my dad…he's the greatest guy in the world…" he said proudly.

Adam looked down at the little boy in front of him…the same one he had always felt a strong connection to…the same little boy who he always thought looked a lot like him when he was younger. He always has his strong suspicions when he found out who his parents were, but now he was positive. The only thing left for him to wonder was whether or not Trish would actually come out and tell him the truth.

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"About what?" Randy asked inquisitively as he watched the pained expression on Amy's face. Before she could answer, he heard a familiar voice beckon him.

"Hey dad…." Joshua's voice rang out.

"Oh fuck" Amy said, massaging her temples with her hand.

"Uh oh…mom said a bad word…she must be really mad" Jessica whispered to Ryan and Emma. Emma only nodded her head, completely transfixed by the unusual scene before her. Aunt Amy hardly ever lost her cool and when she did, she never did it around her or the other kids.

'This must be big' Emma thought to herself.

"Hey kiddo, I was….." Randy turned in his son's direction to see the shock of the century.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Randy ask vehemently.

"Randy…watch your language around the kids" Trish warned him…more like pleaded with him.

After witnessing Randy's initial reaction to seeing Adam, Trish figure either two things happened. Either he didn't take the news so well or Amy didn't get a chance to tell them.

"You've got some nerve showing up here you son of a…." Matt stopped himself before completing his sentence. He stood from his seat and stood beside Randy.

"Dad…why are you being so rude?…this is Mr. C…my friend's dad…he's our guest…." Josh informed his father in a perplexed manner. He was really offended that his father was being so mean to Adam…someone he considered a friend.

"Josh…stay out of this" Randy shot back angrily.

Josh bowed his head so that no one would be able to see the tears that were beginning to pool in his eyes. 'What was going on?' he thought.

Randy slowly made his way towards Adam and Trish thought it would be best to get the kids out of the area.

"Kids, why don't we go to the burger place around the corner and eat? I'm suddenly in the mood for burgers. " Trish said with a bright smile…a very fake smile but one that would just have to do at the moment.

Emma sent her mother a look and unfortunately Trish's eyes met hers. Emma was intelligent for her age and add to the fact that she knew her mother very well, she knew that something was very wrong and that it was probably best to just shut up and listen. Besides that, her father and Matt, but especially her father, looked mad as hell and she didn't want to be anywhere near him when he exploded.

"C'mon guys…I'm actually digging a burger right now too" Emma suggested to Jessica and Ryan, hoping that that would hurry them up. The twin nodded their heads in agreement, also noticing something wasn't quite right with the scene before them.

"Come on Josh…let's go" Trish said as she gently nudged Josh's arm.

"No" he replied in defiance as his head shot up to meet his mother's stare.

"Josh, listen to your mother" Randy said breaking his silent stare down with Adam.

"No….I don't understand why you're being so mean, but Mr. C is never mean…I wish he was my dad…I hate you both" Josh said, jerking away from his mother's touch and running away. Both Randy and Trish stood in shock at their son's words. Trish never imagined ever hearing her son say that he hated her and despite the fact that he was young and wasn't old enough to understand what was going on, it still hurt her. Amy rested a hand on her shoulder and whispered that she would go after Josh, to which Trish could only nod her head. Hey eyes finally landed on Randy and there was no mistaken the hurt in his eyes. He didn't even bother to hide the tears that had formed. Matt also looked Randy's way and he also whispered something to him, to which Randy nodded. With quick reassurance, Matt grabbed the rest of the kids and left. He gave Trish a small consoling hug before he made his way of the restaurant with the other four children in two.

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As she continued to look at Randy, it was then that Trish stupidly realized what Josh had said to Randy before declaring he hated them. She knew that it was tearing Randy apart inside to hear him say something like that especially when Randy knew that no matter what he did for Joshua, he could never biologically be his father.

"I wanna go home" Trish said tearfully, to which both Matt, Randy and Adam turned to look her way.

"Please…" she added helplessly.

Randy nodded his head and turned to face Adam once more.

"We're gonna need to talk and so help me God, if I've gotta put you in a hospital bed again to get some answers out of you…believe me, I will" Randy threatened with genuine hatred for the man.

Adam reached for a napkin lying on the table and grabbed a pen from his pocket and scribbled something down before handing it to Randy.

"That's my hotel number…give me a call when you're ready to talk". Adam walked up to meet Randy face to face, looking him square in the eye.

"You're tired of waiting and I'm tired of hiding….but I wanna see both of you" referring to Trish as well.

"I don't think so asshole…". Randy's protective nature increased ten-fold.

"That can be arranged" Trish interrupted. Randy's head shot to the side to look at his wife. She could tell that he was angry. She was sure that he felt that it would be mean putting herself in harm' way once again. They never had really discussed it much but she knew that Randy had spent a lot time blaming himself for not being able to be there for her and stop Adam from his assault. She didn't blame him and he had learned that he couldn't control everything….but it seemed as though that guilt was returning.

Trish met her husbands stare and raised her confidently. It was the most confident Adam had seen her since in the lobby.

"I think that of all who are involved, I deserve the most answers" she said as she slowly moved forward and held on to Randy's arm, while she clung to him.

"Fair enough" Adam said with a sigh. He looked at the scene before him and gritted his teeth before he turned and made his way out of the restaurant leaving Randy and Trish in their embrace.

'How could he still love her to this day?' he thought to himself as he walked to his rental car. It was like no matter what he did, the centre of his being always seemed to be Trish. He wanted to make things right…he really did but he wanted more than making amends with Trish, was his son….and by God, he was going to get him.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, first off thanks for all of the replys. I'm glad that fans of NLT have returned to check out the sequel and hopefully I won't disappoint anyone. Secondly, I'm sooooooooooo sorry for taking so long to update! I've been really busy with keeping up with my university due dates and tests and stuff like that. There's only one week left of lectures then I'll be getting ready for exams and then I start summer school so I'm surprised that I even got this chapter out. But even though I'll be busy, hopefully it won't be this long till I update again. I'm planning on writing a one-shot so I'll probably have that up before I update Save the Best for Last. Anyways, I've rambled on long enough so on with the story and I hope you enjoy. Remember to ready and review..you guys do inspire and motivate me to keep going with my writing.

I Disclaim

Trish desperately tried to quicken her pace so that she could keep up with Randy's fast walk.

"Randy…wait up" she called out. She was sure that he had heard, so she was positive that he was just plain angry with her. Becoming fed up with his silent treatment; Trish slowed her pace down to a walk. The rain continued to fall heavier and heavier as the night wore on and she was sure that she would be feeling the remnants of a cold in a few days. She had some many things running through her mind at that very moment, she was overwhelmed with thoughts….so many thoughts, she didn't know which one to analyze and figure out first. She let out a sardonic chuckle to herself as she once again quickened her pace to get to the car faster. All the while, she took the opportunity to curse herself for actually believing that anything in her life could ever be happy for so long. She looked up once again to see the familiar back trudging a large distance ahead of her. She decided to try her luck again.

"Randy…please wait". Her voice cracked and the vulnerability she felt in that moment was evident to any stranger walking by, but he didn't look up. He didn't stop. He didn't even turn around. No acknowledgement whatsoever. At this moment, Trish was seriously wondering whether Randy would actually drive off and leave her in a deserted parking lot so late at night in a place she wasn't familiar with. With that thought, she heightened her pace even more, going as fast as her stilettos heels could take her. Now she was just pissed.

'Who the hell did he think he was? Acting like he was the only one affected by Adam's sudden reappearance…' she thought to herself. She heard the soft hum of a musical tune and realized that it was her cell phone. Trying to multi-task, she grabbed her phone from her purse and pressed talk and she continued on.

"Hello" Trish asked with a shortness of breath.

"Hey T, it's Ames" Trish let out a big sigh.

"Thank God…I've been trying to call for the longest time".

"Yeah, sorry about that, my batter died on me….I knew you'd be worried. Listen I've got Josh with me and I'm trying to talk some sense into him but he's really upset about what happened tonight between Randy and Adam and he doesn't want Matt or myself to bring him back to your room tonight" Amy informed Trish sympathetically.

Trish could feel the tears begin to prick her eyes. 'How is it possible for everything to go so wrong so fast' she thought.

"Trish…" Amy began, hoping that her tiny blond friend was still on the line.

"I'm here…I just don't know what to do or say…I'm so completely lost Ames and right now I don't think I'll ever find my way back. And what's worse is that I'm pretty sure there's a lot more bad stuff to come" Trish replied as she sobbed into the phone.

"Sweetie, I know this is hard for you and I can't imagine what you're going through right now and I'm pretty sure Randy is taking all of this pretty hard as well but Matt and I will be there for the two of you any way we can. You should just go home and rest. We'll keep your kids for the night and we'll figure out what to do when we wake up tomorrow. But for now, let me handle Josh….It'll be alright, I promise." Amy assured Trish confidently.

"You sound so sure of yourself but forgive me if I don't one hundred percent believe you right now" Trish muttered.

"I'll let it slip this time around" Amy joked. It earned a tiny smile to form on Trish's lips. She could always count on Amy to be there for her no matter what.

"Okay, I guess I better be going before I lose out on my ride, I'll talk to ya later Hun, bye." Trish hung up before Amy could question Trish's comment about losing her ride. The last thing she needed Amy to worry about was how to help Trish out with her potential problems between herself and Randy.

She shoved her phone back into her purse and hurried her pace when she noticed that Randy was already sitting in the car and was starting the engine. She quickly debated on what to do. She wasn't sure if he was leaving so she figured she had three options. She could run to the exit and block the way with her body to ensure that he didn't leave without her. Of course, he could always run her over. Or she could run like a mad woman and wave her hands in the air wildly to attract attention from her, at least long enough to distract him so she could get to the car. Or she could just pray to God and hoped that her feet (and heels) could get her there in time without having to suffer any embarrassment. She settled on the latter and made a dash towards the car. She was doing fine until she stepped into a huge pothole that was only a few feet away from their car. She went crashing down to the ground and the searing pain she felt shoot up her left leg was almost immediate. She was sure that she at least torn something. Even with the heavy water pellets falling against her face and body, she couldn't mistake the hot tears that were now trailing down her face. She placed her palms on the ground and took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the event of having to pick herself up. After a couple of seconds, she readied herself for any pain she might feel while attempting to stand but the pair of hands that picked her up from behind lightened her burden and her pain. Her body was swept up into his arms and she turned her head slightly to see Randy staring at her with concern. She could tell that he was worried but she could also tell that he wasn't worried enough for him to stop being angry with her…if only she knew what for though.

It seemed like in only a few large strides, they had reached their car. Randy opened the passenger door with one hand and slid her into the seat. He reclined it back and put her feet up onto the dashboard as he gently undid her stilettos and began massaging her ankle.

"Does it hurt a lot?" he asked softly. Trish's head shot up as she looked at her husband. She was honestly surprised that he spoke to her.

She only nodded and slightly shifted her foot away from his touch.

"I just wanna go home right now" she sighed deeply before staring out the front window. Randy sent her a grim look and shrugged his shoulders. He strapped her in and shut the passenger door. Trish didn't miss the way he took the extra effort to slam the door. It didn't happen that often, but she still hated it when they got into fights, especially since he was much better at the silent treatment than she was. When she was mad, she'd try to brush him off and avoid him but then by the end of the day, she's just blow up and start yelling and when she was done, he'd apologize and life was great again. When he was mad, it was a whole different story. He had a lot of patience when it came to him waiting for an owed apology…and this time, Trish had nothing to apologize about, she may not like having him mad at her, but at the same time, she didn't feel that he had any reason to be mad at her.

Trish let her thoughts drift back to the restaurant scene. It kept replaying in her mind over and over again until she realized that they had finally made it back to the hotel. She didn't even wait for him to come and help her; she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. She paused for a second as she mentally calculated the best way to go about getting out of the car and into their room without having to endure the least amount of pain, but once, the same familiar strong arms grabbed her by her waist and carried her in. When they got into their room, Randy set her down and moved to the kitchen to grab some ice. He came back and rested the ice on her swollen ankle while he stroked the side of her leg. Trish rested her head against the back of the couch but she could feel his eyes on her.

"I kept telling you that you'd one day fall if you kept trying pull a Michael Johnson in stilettos…" he began softly. Trish didn't show any reaction to his comment.

"Do you want to go to a doctor?" he asked as he stood from his position on the floor and took a seat next to her on the couch, forcing her to look right at him.

"Randy, I'm fine…" she said with a bit annoyance. Her ankle was hurting like hell and right now, so was her heart. After everything that had happened tonight, she was hurt that he would think that it would be better to get mad at her for some unknown reason, rather than stick together and work through this…especially with Josh.

Trish let her gaze meet his and she could tell that he was sympathetic but she was too tired to talk about anything and sort things out. He started this, so he could wait till morning to work when she actually has the energy to yell at him for being an ass.

"Now that you know that I won't be dying or anything, you can go back to being mad at me now…I'm going to bed" she said as she used her hands and pushed herself up, making sure to apply only a slight amount of pressure on her injured leg.

"Trish…" Randy began.

"Randy don't start this now…the only reason I'm even in this situation is because I was afraid that MY husband would actually abandon me in the parking lot of a restaurant!" Trish yelled. Yup, there was her fiery temper becoming unleashed.

"I would have never have left you" Randy replied in an offended manner.

Trish began hopping away in a fury, when she decidedly turned back around to face him.

"You know what? You already got my fired up so we might as well just finish it" she said with aggravation. She continued on.

"What the hell did I do to get you in such a pissy mood tonight?" she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited expectantly for his answer.

Randy shot up from his seat.

"After everything that went on tonight, you're actually gone ask me why I'm mad at you….you mean you can't tell?" he asked incredulously.

"First of all you idiot, I'm not going to ask you, I already did. I know I don't stutter so either you're suffering a hearing impairment or you're just trying to get me more pissed off than I already am" Trish shot back.

If there was anything that Randy could admit, it was that his wife always had a way with words and no matter how hard he could try, he'd never be able to top her when it came to their arguments.

Trish waited a couple of minutes as she and Randy just stared at each other. When she finally gave up waiting for an answer, she cautiously turned to make her way to their bedroom.

"He intruded on our night with our family and friends and you didn't say a damn thing…" he said quietly and she could hear from his voice that he was fighting tears.

"I was trying to protect you and our children and you just stood there as our son looked on and thought I was the bad guy…"

"I didn't say anything because he's still young Randy…he won't understand things the way they should be understood…he's a child Randy, he's see the good in everybody. Amy went out there before me so she could warn you guys but then you had disappeared and by the time I came out with Josh and Adam, it was too late…"

"Randy…if you think that I purposely tried to make you look bad in front of …"

Randy cut her off and moved closer to her and placed his hands on her cheeks.

"I know Trish…I'm sorry. I should have never taken it out on you. I'm just feeling really insecure about the situation right now. I mean, Josh has obviously taken a liking to Adam and right now I'm not really in his goods books because of the way greeted Adam…."

"And you're scared that when Noah eventually finds out that you're not his biological father, he won't love you anymore…" Trish finished Randy's thoughts. Randy gave her a sorrowful smile.

"That's exactly it" he said.

"You have nothing to worry about" she tried to reassure him.

"But I still don't want you to talk to him" Randy pressed her.

"Fine, I won't talk to him" Trish momentarily gave in. She felt like the night was seemingly never going to end and she didn't want to start another fight.

"Now can we please go to bed, I think I've been on my feet long enough" she said trying to lighten the mood. It didn't really work but she did earn a small smile from the legend killer.

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Four hours later and Trish was still staring up at her ceiling. She wiggled her ankle around to make sure that the pain was gone. Now she felt stupid for actually dramatizing the whole thing as though she had actually broken something when it was actually just a sprained ankle. With some rest and some strong pain killers, it was now as good as new. Trish turned to her side and looked at her husband. He had been tossing and turning for the longest time and it wasn't until a half hour ago that he seemed to fall into a deep slumber. They all had had a rough night but she couldn't figure out why she couldn't sleep. She was tired as hell, but she couldn't let herself succumb to slumber. She looked at the clock that read 2:30 am and let out a sigh. She has tried everything. She sang herself lullabies, she counted sheep, she even said some peaceful mantras that Amy had taught her during her yoga phase but nothing seemed to work. Trish knew something that would work but she wasn't sure if she was ready or if it was even safe for her to do. She needed answers and she needed them now. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as though to clear her thoughts but they weren't going anywhere. She raised herself up on her arms and leaned over to look at Randy's sleeping form. He had definitely gone for it and she was sure he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. She looked at the clock once more before slowly removing the covers from on top of her and quietly making her way out of the room. She grabbed a pair of cargo pants to pull over her booty shorts and decided that her tank top was fine to keep on. She grabbed the pocket knife that Randy and Matt were using during their fishing trip earlier that week and she slid it into her large side pocket. She wasn't sure what compelled her to actually make her move and she was sure besides Randy blowing his top, her friends would probably give her hell for doing this by herself, but it seemed that the only way she was going to find peace was to get some answers and as soon as possible. She moved quietly and grabbed the napkin with the number scribbled across it. She looked back at her husband's sleeping form before exiting the room, making sure to grab the keys on the way out. She'd be back before Randy even woke up…and like the saying goes, what you don't know can't hurt you….and hopefully for Trish, Randy will never find out.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Wow...it's been a while since I've updated this fic. I didn't mean for it to be this long but real life gets in the way often and as much as I have good intentions, I can't get everything done when I want it to get done...especially when there's other things that need to be done. Okay, enough of my excuses, lol. Here's the nextchapter. As you can see, I'm alternating updates between this fic and Save the Best for Last so that'll be the next update. I wanna thank everyone for all the reviews on the last chapter and for ever reviewing anything I've ever written. I really apprecite it and it's the only reason why I even try to continue with my fics and put in the effort to make it as enjoyable as possible for you guys. So thank you. Anways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter and please read and review.

I Disclaim

It was raining outside, and it was just Trish's luck….she forgot to grab an umbrella on the way out. Her hair was hanging damp and her clothes were almost soaking wet which made taking a seat in her car all the more uncomfortable. It hadn't been that far of walk from the hotel to the car but the rain was falling down as though someone seemed to be pelting huge droplets of water from up above. She turned the ignition just so she could put on the heater. She was feeling a bit chilled because of the rain as she was only donned in her tank top that was thin and ended right above her belly button. As she sat in her seat and waited for the hot air to warm her body, Trish briefly contemplated whether or not she had lost her mind. She quickly shook her head free of the thoughts before leaning over and grabbing her phone from the dashboard of the car. She retrieved the crumpled napkin and began punching in the digits scribbled across the paper. Once she pressed send, she took a shaky breath as she waited for the other end to be answered. Five rings later and Trish had resigned herself to hanging up, however, she heard the groggy voice on the other end of the phone before she could press the 'END' button.

"Hello…."

Trish was frozen for a couple of seconds before she answered the person on the other end.

"Adam?..." she breathed out nervously. She knew he immediately could tell that it was her. He quickly cleared his voice before speaking once again.

"Yeah, it's me…is everything alright?" he asked concerned.

'Like you care' Trish thought bitterly, but refrained from saying it out loud.

"Everything's…fine. I um, I know it's late and all, but I was wondering if we could talk?" she choked out softly. She heard silence for a moment and was about to come to the conclusion that he had hung up on her, but he spoke once again.

"I'm surprised that Randy let you make the call…I thought he didn't want you to be around me?" Adam said with a bit of indignation.

"Actually…It'll just be me. Randy doesn't know about this and I'd like to keep it that way. So can meet up with me or not?"

Adam was taken aback by the fact that Trish was going against her husband's wishes, let alone doing it behind his back.

"Uh, yeah sure…give me ten minutes. Where do you wanna meet?"

"Somewhere public and that's open twenty-four hours" Trish answered without hesitation. Both knew why that was and though Trish would probably never believe it, Adam truly did feel a part of his heart die everyday at the thought of what he had done to her.

"Okay, there's a twenty-four luxury café on Ceyala drive….do you need instructions there?"

"No….we've passed by there everyday since we got here, I can manage" and without waiting for his reply, Trish turned off her cell phone and pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Her nerves were on edge and she desperately wanted something to distract herself with while she was driving to the café…however, she didn't need a distraction, she needed a prayer because she had no idea what she was getting herself into.

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Trish walked into the café seven minutes later, quickly scanning the place out for any signs of Adam. There was no Adam but she did notice that there were quite a few people lounging about, especially considering that it was three in the morning.

"Can I help you ma'am?" a young woman asked as she looked at the Canadian blonde with a sincere smile. Trish smiled back politely before asking for a table with a view of the front door. Moments later, she was seated and had already ordered from the menu. She nervously tapped her nails against the table and chewed on her bottom lip as the time passed. It wasn't long until Adam walked through the door, immediately noticing her as she sat at the booth none the wiser about his arrival. He cautiously walked up to her and waved his hand in her face.

"You there?" he asked with a small smile.

Trish quickly broke out of her reverie and turned to see a smiling Adam. It enraged her that after all that he had put her through, he still tried to pretend that they could just move on from it. It wasn't like he slept with her best friend while they were still going out or he accidentally killed her cat…all of those things she would've forgiven him after a while. However, even after more than eight years, it wasn't that she wasn't willing to forgive him…she wanted to, but it would was a lot harder considering that she had suffered so greatly because of a man that she had once loved with all her heart….a man that she had once thought would be her life long partner in life.

Trish broke out of her thoughts and motioned with her hand for Adam to sit. He took a seat across from her in the luxurious booth. For several moments, they were both silent, thinking of the best way to start the conversation. However, Trish grew tired of thinking of ways to beat around the bush before getting to the real conversation so she figured she's just save time.

"What do you want Adam?" Trish asked.

Adam leaned back against the back of the padded booth, a bit taken aback. He expected the question, but he also expected hostility…instead, he was received with desperation.

"I don't know where to start…" Adam began as he fumbled with the napkins in the dispenser.

"Fine…then how about I just ask the questions then. Did you always know that Joshua was my son when he started coming by your house…did you plan it that way as another way to ruin my life? Or was it something that you just happen to find out to be completely coincidental?"

Trish had taken the liberty of ordering for the both of them and the waitress had just set their cups down so Adam took the chance to fidget with his cup for a few moments before he found the courage to speak.

"Trish….firstly, Joshua is our son…. I know that he's my son Trish and I think it's about time that he knew as well. Secondly…." Adam was interrupted as he was met by a slap across his face.

"Don't you have any shame?...What makes you think that I owe you anything…better yet, what makes you think that you have a right to be affiliated in my life in any way, shape or form after what you've put me and my family through?" Trish shot back venomously.

"You know….I was expecting that you'd react that way, but you can't deny that he's my son, Trish. I've made terrible mistakes in the past and as hard as it is now to believe, I've never loved anything or anyone that way I've loved and still love you. I can't explain how my actions led up to what happened between us but it was never with the intention of hurting…in my messed up mind, I thought I could make you love me again. Didn't quite work that way…." Adam trailed off and looked down into his cup of coffee that was yet to be touched.

Trish cursed herself. She felt sorry for him. How she managed to do it, she didn't know but she didn't really like the feeling of having sympathy for someone who had taken it upon himself to traumatize her and not to mention in the most selfish manner she could think of. Trish too looked down at her cup before taking a sip and placing the cup back on the table.

'What should I do?' she thought to herself as she briefly took glances at Adam to see what he was up to. It wasn't until he turned his head to the side that she realized why he was so quiet. She could easily see the tears in his eyes. Without thinking, she cautiously extended her hand and covered Adam's with her own. Surprised by the contact, Adam looked at her before smiling gratefully at her.

"I believe you're sorry Adam. I could even forgive you for what you've done to me…but forgetting and looking at you as the friend I had once thought you were….I don't think I could ever do that" Trish whispered quietly. Adam now took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I understand Trish…sometimes we do things that not even the world of good could redeem ourselves in another's eyes…especially when it's someone you love so much" Adam replied.

Trish quickly pulled her hand away.

"Stop saying that"

"Saying what?" Adam asked confusion.

"Stop saying that you love me…that you always have and always will…I'm not yours to love Adam, especially considering the circumstances." Trish leaned back against the booth and closed her eyes momentarily as she took a moment to massage her temples to prevent the oncoming headache.

This conversation was a lot more frustrating than she thought it would be, however, it was her fault for thinking that a conversation of this nature could ever be simple.

"It's the truth, Trish….you may not like it, but I love and you loved me a long time before Randy ever came into the picture. Just for a moment, forget what I've done to you, can you honestly tell me that you've never loved me too?" his words sounded desperate. Like a little boy asking his mother if she still loved him after he had done something terrible.

"Why are you bringing all of this up? I've never lied to you Adam…before, during or even after our relationship so there's no need for your questions when you already know the answers" she shoved the remaining of her coffee to the side of her, losing any need for the hot beverage.

"I asked you here for a reason Adam…I asked you what you want and I still haven't gotten an answer."

"Trish, listen…"

"No, Adam" she interrupted him. "You listen…I'm not here to talk about our past relationship, there's nothing more to say about what you did to me and you already know that there is no hope at all for us ever being together. No matter how many stupid things you may have done Adam, you're smart enough to know all of those things. So there's another reason why you've all of sudden showed up in our lives, so stop the bullshit and just tell me."

"Fine then" Adam now took the last swig of his coffee before placing the cup back on the table, a bit harder than necessary. He briefly looked around before leaning closer to Trish and looking her straight in the eye.

"I want my son…and I will fight you tooth and nail until I get him…."

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Randy rolled over on his side and let his arm fall onto the other side of the bed. The absence of his wife's body lying next to him woke Randy right up. He opened his eyes to see nothing. He shot up in bed and leaned over to turn on the bedside lamp. It took a few minutes for him to readjust his eyes, but they came to, his fears were confirmed…his wife wasn't there.

"Trish…" he called out. There was no answer. He got up and opened the bathroom door to find it dark and empty. He made his way through the hotel room…the living room, kitchen, even the other bedrooms in the suite. She was no where. He quickly dashed to the phone and dialed the familiar digits.

'Hi, this is Trish…I'm can't take your call right now but if you leave a message and luck's on your side, I might just call you back…I'm just playing…I'll get back to ya as soon as possible'.

Upon hearing her cell message, Randy slammed the phone down. He quickly picked up the receiver again, this time, calling another set of familiar digits.

"Hello"

"Matt…it's Randy"

"Oh…hey, is everything alright?" Matt asked groggily as he tapped Amy to wake her up. He had a feeling that something was wrong. Why else would Randy call at 4:15 in the morning.

"Trish is gone" Randy managed to get out. He continued to roam the room to find any hints of what happened to her.

"Matt, her keys are gone, her phone's off and…." Randy trailed off as a thought came to his head. He still held onto the phone as he ran back into the bedroom and picked up his pants that he had he had discarded late last night.

"Oh shit" he said into the phone.

"What?...what's going on Randy?" Randy could hear Matt's desperate tone and he could hear Amy beginning to freak out in the background.

"The number's gone Matt…Adam's number is gone. I'm sure you can put the pieces together. We know who my wife is with…now the question is, where are they?" Randy said into the phone. He was going to rip into Adam when he found him, and he just hoped to God that his wife was okay, but when he found her, fireworks would fly and they wouldn't be the good kind. Randy sighed to himself as he thought of everything that was happening.

Things were getting ugly and fast. Unfortunately for Randy….this was just the beginning.


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay, next chapter of this fic. I've been doing this fic for a couple of days but I haven't had the chance to post it until now. I've only got 5 more chapters at the most for this fic so I'll leave you in suspense of whether or not Randy and Trish finally get their happy ending. I've left you with a cliff hanger once, I can do it again! (gives an evil laught), lol. Hope you guys enjoy and please read and review. Much love guys.

I Disclaim

"I want my son…and I will fight you tooth and nail until I get him…."

The words hung in the air as Trish's jaw dropped open and all thoughts vanished. Of all the nightmares that she had ever had, this was by far the worst….she couldn't wake up from this one.

His words rang in her ears…they taunted her. She felt the tears begin to prick her eyes and for the first time since Adam let out his intentions, Trish looked him straight in the eyes without hesitation or nervousness.

"You'd never get him, Adam" she said with venom lacing her tone. She hoped that she sounded confident, because even in the back of her mind, she wasn't so sure that she could save her son from the grasp of his biological father.

"What makes you think that?" Adam asked inquisitively. He leaned back in the booth and studied her carefully. He was sure that no one would believe how sorry he was for ever hurting her. She was the last person he would ever want to hurt.

'Then why do you continue to hurt her even though you say you don't want to?' his conscious stepped in and questioned him. Adam couldn't help the frown that appeared on his face. It was a good question to ask, one he had no answer to and perhaps that's why his words seemed so ingenuine to everyone else. He said one thing, but his actions said another. He didn't love anybody as much as he loved himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by Trish.

"No judge in his right mind would give custody to a man who raped the mother. What makes you think that a judge would have sympathy for you?" She asked as her eyes narrowed at him. He could see her jaws clenched tightly together and he knew she was fighting back tears.

"How is the judge gonna know I raped you? You didn't press charges against me, nothing was legally filed…you have no proof Trish". He knew he had her when he saw her eyes grow large with fear. Even in their predicament, he couldn't help but notice how she hadn't aged a day since he had last seen her. She was still as beautiful as ever.

"But there were people…people know Adam…you can't…" Trish stumbled as she searched for words that would sound convincing to Adam…more importantly, convincing to herself. He was right, she hadn't filed anything against him, and there were no records to show that he had in fact violated her.

"Come on Trish, I would think you'd know better. There were no witnesses therefore any proof. Who are you gonna put on the stand…you're husband? I'm sure a judge or jury could be easily swayed in believing that he was so jealous of me, the ex-boyfriend, that by supporting a rape plea, one that happened several years ago might I add, would be the perfect way to get rid of me once and for all. Not to mention your friends. We shared the same circle of friends before I drifted apart from them. Their testimonies in support of you and against me could be seen as their revenge and I'm sure the court would consider it as an example of conflicting interest."

Trish didn't stop the tears from falling now.

"You've really thought about this" she whispered. It was more of a comment to herself than it was to him.

"There are a few ways of avoiding all of this" Adam interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up at him with hopeful eyes. If she had been in her right senses, she would've realized that anything that he had to offer her wouldn't be something that she would be willing to do.

"We can have joint custody….I just don't want Randy anywhere near my son. He's tainted his mind with enough things as it is."

"Not happening, Adam. Randy has never spoken to Josh about you. None of us have. Randy has given his time, his love…his everything, to helping raise Josh. I will not take Josh away from him so you can just forget about that plan….as far as I'm concerned, Randy is his father, if not by blood, by everything else." She wiped her eyes with the back of her palm. Her eyes quickly glanced around the room to see that the crowd had lessened since she has last looked, but at this point, her safety was the last thing on her mind so she paid no attention and turned her gaze back to Adam.

"What's your next ultimatum?" she asked.

He looked at her with a frown before replying.

"Well, if you didn't like my first idea, I don't think you'll be too keen on the second suggestion he said.

She only raised a single eyebrow as a way of telling him to continue.

"Come away with me…the three of us could just get away and we'd never have to worry about anyone else ever again" he said. Trish saw the pleading look in his eyes as he leaned over to cover her hand with his own. She didn't pull away from the contact, instead she held his gaze and offered a little smile.

"On the contrary Adam, your suggestion has made my decision a lot easier." Adam's face broke out into a smile.

Finally….they would be together as a family. They way it should be.

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The skies had opened up and the first few hues of the sunlight were masked with the drops of rain that had continued on from the night. Randy looked at his watch once again. It was now 4:30 in the morning. The day was about to start and Randy was still in search for his wife. After he had gotten off the phone with Matt, he was sure that his wife had gone to meet up with Adam. He was now walking up the street 5 blocks away from the hotel in search for Trish and there still no sign of her. Even in his state of fear, he couldn't help his feelings of anger towards his wife. He couldn't understand how she could carelessly leave in the middle of the night to meet the same man who had taken her forcefully. The more he thought about it, the more he became enraged by her thoughtless act. His brooding and search was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Hello" he answered hopefully.

"Hey, it's me, Amy"

Randy sighed in disappointment.

"Trish just called here and she said that you're not at the hotel and she was wondering if we knew where you were" Amy filled him in.

"And what did you say?"

"Well, we didn't know if you wanted her to know about your little discovery so we just kept mum and told her that we didn't know where you were but we'd be on the look out for you" Amy said.

"Thanks Ames…I think it's best that I confront her about everything face to face. I better be heading back to the hotel right now. I wanna thank you guys for taking care of the kids for us." He proceeded to make arrangement with Amy and Matt before offering their quick goodbyes. Randy took off in a sprint down the streets. The longer he took to get back to the hotel, the longer it was going to be before he got some explanations.

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Randy made it in a record time of seven minutes. He dashed through the front door and collided right into the tiny frame of the blonde beauty.

"Where you rushing to?" she asked as she grimaced a bit from her place on the floor.

"Sorry" he simply offered and bent down to put his arm around her and helped her up.

"So where were you?" she asked innocently.

"I could ask you the same thing…and don't bother lying to me Trish. I've been up since early this morning only to find you gone and I could bet my life on who it is you went to meet up with."

Trish inhaled and exhaled deeply. Shit, she was caught. She looked up at her husband as he watched her through narrow slits.

She was definitely in trouble.

"Can we sit?" she asked as she bit her bottom lip nervously. He silently nodded and moved towards the couch. As soon as both their butts were planted on the seat, he didn't waste any time.

"Why did you go to see him?" Randy asked. He wasn't planning on beating around the bush and Trish had no opportunity to get around it.

"I wanted to ask him a few questions…mainly why he was doing all of this" Trish answered softly.

"We could've done that together" Randy said while raising his voice.

"How could you be so stupid to put yourself in danger like that" his voice sounded like it was echoing in the room and Trish was scared. She winced at the loudness and tone of his voice and she bowed her head. She refused to show him the tears. He had every right to be upset but how could she ever explain to him that she did what she did to protect her family…all of them.

"Did he hurt you?" Randy eyes and voice immediately softened and his anger was washed over with pure concern. Trish didn't waste any time in reassuring him that Adam didn't dare try anything with her and that they had met in a popular twenty-four café. Several moments passed of awkward silence and Trish could feel the tension once again begin to rise between them. Randy wasn't going to let this down for a really long time…at least not until everything was over and done with.

His stern gaze returned to his face and he sprung up.

"The kids are coming back today" he said as he shuffled around them room, not even looking at her. Trish felt her lips quiver and her eyes threaten to spill tears. Everything was going so wrong so fast. She couldn't help the ill feeling at the pit of her stomach. Now more than ever she and Randy would need to stick together but she feared that that would be easier said than done.

"Randy…" she softly called out his name as she watched him continue to move around the room and put some of his things an overnight bag.

Upon no reply, she called out his name a bit louder this time.

"Randy…." She moved desperately towards him and placed her hand on his forearm.

"What are you doing?...I haven't told you everything yet" Trish pleaded with her eyes but he refused to look up at her.

"We can talk later. I've been relieved that you're alright but now I just need time away from you Trish. I can't believe you would deliberately do something so extremely stupid and you went behind my back. And I'm pretty sure that if I hadn't figured out about your little meeting, you would've most likely lie right to my face when I asked you about where you were!" Randy was steaming.

"Where are you going?"

"Matt and Amy are going to come here tonight with the kids. I talked to them earlier and we sorted everything out. I was hoping that I would've gotten a better explanation for your actions. I need to get away and think right now so they'll be staying with you for the rest of the vacation. It's only going to a few more days till we leave and after the incident at the restaurant, it will be good for the kids to have each other's company so that they don't worry too much about the adult stuff."

"You don't need to leave…" Trish begged as she held on tighter to his arm. He shook her grip free and continued to move around, grabbing little things that he may need for the few days he would be gone.

He lifted his gaze to meet hers this time and with steely eyes he responded,

"Yes I do….I won't be able to think about everything if I constantly have to worry about you and what stupid thing you might do next. I know Amy and Matt will keep you in check. Sometimes I think they do a better job than I do." She wasn't sure if that was meant to be an insult towards their relationship but the bitterness in his voice told Trish that that could possibly be it.

'He's just angry…he's only venting. He doesn't meant it' Trish's voice inside of her try to calm her down but deep down, she feared that he did mean it and despite her previous assumptions of experience some troubles between them along the way, this was the first time that Trish honestly thought that perhaps they wouldn't make it together.

"What do I tell the kids?" Trish asked. She was desperate to stall him, hoping the longer he stayed with her, the more he would realize that there were better ways of handling the situation. Unfortunately, it seemed to be having the opposite effect.

"Well, I'm sure that Josh wouldn't mind not seeing me around after what happened at the restaurant. We all know that he can be stubborn so I'm not holding my breath in hopes that all will be forgiven when he sees me. Besides it's only going into be a few days. Tell them that business came up or I had an emergency meeting or something. Be sneaky…you seem to have become an expert at that." His snide remark didn't go unnoticed and Trish didn't dare try and stop the tears from falling now.

'He was being completely unreasonable now…Wasn't he?' Her mind struggled for answers, struggled for ways to make him stay but nothing was coming to her. And she was sure that whatever she came up, he would just turn her down and use it as another way of hurling an insult at her. She quickly dabbed her wet eyes with her palms and continued to watch him.

Randy's heart softened at the sight of her tears but his mind wouldn't let him forget how mad he was her at the moment. He had already unleashed most of his temper at her that was initially meant for Adam. It would be best if he left for a couple of days before returning to talk about things.

By now she was walking behind him as he made his way to the front door. He slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder and turned the knob. Trish figured he probably wouldn't have even looked back if it weren't for her confession.

"He wants custody Randy…he wants to take Josh away from us" Randy turned around to be met with the tears of his wife as her eyes pleaded with him. But for reasons that she couldn't explain, and neither could he, with tear filled eyes, Randy simply shook his head. And the last thing that Trish could have ever imagined she'd see…Randy turned his back and continued right out the door leaving everything behind….including her.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Wow...I haven't updated in like forever and I really do apologize for that. I've been so stuck with this story. I know how I want everything to go but the hard part is trying to figure out how to do in the least possible chapters that I can. I'm only go do two or three more chapters after this one so this story will be coming to a close shortly because I really wanna get started on another fic...I know, I'm bad but I can't help it! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy and since so many of you left threats for me because of the cliff hanger from Not Like This...I'm actually considering whether I should give you a happily ever after or leave you in suspense once again. Except this time, there ain't gonna be no other part, lol. Anyways, please read and review...until next time.

I Disclaim: I don't any of the superstars that are portrayed in this story and believe me, if I did own them, I wouldn't be sitting here right now in front of my computer reading fanfics when I could be living it out...oh wait, nevermind. I wanna keep this clean, lol.

It had been four days since he had left and three and half days that she had cried mercifully in hopes that he would return. She knew she had messed up but she wasn't sure what sort of message Randy was trying to send but by last night, Trish's agony and grief turned into pure anger and mild hate.

'How could he just walk out on us like that?' she asked herself countless times throughout the day. This was by far the most trying situation that their marriage had to face, and though she could never forget all that he had done for her in the past, she still couldn't help but think that he was being a coward. Her thoughts were interrupted by feet pattering towards her. Seconds later she felt the weight of the bed shift and soon she was face to face with Emma and Josh looking back at her. She would have to remember to thank Emma for being on her best behaviour. Emma was a smart girl and as much as it pained Trish, she knew that Emma had some sort of idea as to what was going on and Trish strongly believed that a girl as young as her daughter should not have to go through that. She gave her daughter a small smile before she was greeted with a kiss on the cheek and a good morning. Her eyes shifted its gaze onto Josh…the little guy who was unknowingly the centre of all of this commotion.

"Hey baby" Trish said as she stifled a yawn. Josh's face broke out into a grin before leaping towards his mother and giving her kiss before cuddling up beside her. His actions were just another example of a child's innocence. Despite the commotion he had caused at the restaurant, the day apart from his parents was enough to make him forget his anger and remember that he had missed them a lot. He had run through the day and straight into his mother's arms the night Amy and Matt had brought him back to their hotel room. First Trish was relieved that he had calmed down, but that was soon replaced by sadness when Josh has innocently asked for his father. Trish didn't have an answer so she did the only thing she could think of, she made something up.

"Mama….I'm hungry" Josh interrupted her thoughts. Trish glanced at her two kids before giving them a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry guys. I was awake really late with Noah so that's why I woke up so late today" she apologized.

"That's alright mom. I figured you had a late night, Noah's been acting up lately since dad's been gone" Emma pointed out.

"When is dad coming back?" Josh asked as he sat up on the bed and eyed his mother curiously.

"Honey, I've been so busy, I can't even remember what day your father said. I'll have to call your Uncle John and ask him because I'm sure your father must have talked to him about it as well" Trish lied. Emma gave her mother a sympathetic smile before turning to her brother.

"Come on, let's go watch some cartoons while mom gets dressed" and with that she pulled Josh out of the room so that her mother could start getting ready for another day…another day alone.

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It was early afternoon when a fateful knock on the door had Trish leaping over furniture in hopes that it was Randy. The mere thought of him actually coming home was enough for her to forget just for a few minutes that she was mad at him. She just wanted him back home so that they could deal with everything together. The last thing they needed was a rift in their marriage to make things more stressful and complicated.

The smile on her face was bright with anticipation but when she opened the door, a tall man in a dark suit and tie with matching shades was on the other end. She didn't know who he was, but she could guarantee she was about to find out.

"Good afternoon…are you Patricia Strategias Orton?" the man asked.

"Uh…yes. Can I help you?" Trish asked politely.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm here on behalf a Mr. Adam Copeland. A copy of this form was requested to be delivered to you so that you are fully aware of the following proceedings that Mr. Copeland has issued along with his attorney. You will be expected in court in nine days where a trial hearing will take place in the custody of little Joshua Orton therefore you are expected to return to the United States within the this week. Thank you for your time Mrs. Orton and have a good day."

Trish stared at the brown manila folder that the man had given her before he left.

"He actually filed for custody" she whispered softly to herself. After several minutes standing in the doorway in shock, she slowly turned around and headed to the bedroom to make sure that all three kids were still sleeping. She had to make sure that Emma nor Josh had overheard the conversation at the door. When her mind was finally at ease, Trish made her way out to the television area and picked up the phone. She dialled the all too familiar number of a cell phone and she quickly decided, she would spare no words or feelings. She had to start getting her act together and she knew just where to start.

After eight rings, she was directed to the voice message. She waited patiently for the beep and prayed that nothing she said would get cut off by the machine. Seconds later, she heard the beep and she wasted no time.

"Randy…it's Trish. Listen, I know you're mad right now at me but that's not reason to stay away for so long. I'm tired of crying and now I'm simply pissed off that you aren't here right now. This is more than our marriage, this is about our son and now of all times you decide to lack a conscious and walk out on us because you need time for yourself? Adam served me custody papers today and I have to be back in the US by the end of the week. The court date is nine days. I understand that you're mad at me but our children don't deserve this and if you don't think you can get over your fucking ego and come back home then….don't come back at all." At this point, she was crying and it was obvious in the way she spoke but she was going to have to pull through this because it needed to be said.

"If I have to go through this alone, I'd prefer you let me know now so that I don't have to worry if I'll ever see you again….Goodbye." She slammed the phone down and waited a couple of seconds before picking it up again. She proceeded to call Amy and told her the situation as best she could without crying but failed. Being the darling that she was, Amy immediately offered to go back with her and despite Trish's pleas to stay, both of her friends were determined to go with her. Matt was already booking flights home which left Trish with packing the suitcases and breaking the news to her kids that they would have to cut their vacation short.

In a matter of hours, Trish and the gang were sitting in the airplane, all strapped in and fifteen minutes away from landing in St.Louis. She tried her best to ignore Josh's pleas for his father and whether or not Randy was informed that they were leaving. Trish avoided the question as best she could and thankfully Josh had fallen asleep. She looked over at the sleeping form of her three children and this time, she didn't bother to stop the tears that began a trail down her cheeks. Her life was spinning out of control and for the first time, she felt almost positive that she wasn't going to make it. She felt a tiny hand reach over and touch her arm. She looked over to meet the blue eyes of her daughter.

"It'll be okay mom…everything will be okay."

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Three more days left before the trail hearing and Trish was spending every desperate moment with her lawyer as they planned some form of defense in hopes that it would enough for her to keep her child. This was a case that she couldn't afford to lose.

"Okay Trish. I think we've done all we could do for today. I'll come by again tomorrow and run over our options but for now, it's two in the morning and we're both tired and not to mention that you've got kids who are early risers…you need some sleep. I know it's hard sweetie, but you have to try and get some rest or else you're just gonna end up shutting down" her lawyer Diane advised her. Trish gave her a small yet grateful smile before getting up and offering to see Diane out.

"I know you're right…it's just hard Diane. I mean, this is really big and right now I'm juggling everything by myself. If there's anyone that can help me, I know it's you….but sometimes that's not enough" she said softly.

"I understand your pain. I had to go through the same thing with my ex and it was hard as hell. I can't make all the promises in the world Trish, but if there's one promise that I can keep, it's that I'll try my damndest to win this case. I know how much is riding on this and I don't wanna let you down." With a confident smile and quick hug, the women parted ways. Trish turned around and looked around. Her house was spotless…such a contrast to the big disaster that was brewing inside of her. She sighed as she turned off the kitchen light and made her way up to her bedroom to sleep.

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She had an hour of what could be the described as the closest thing resembled to sleep. She lifted her head slightly to see Noah nestled away in his crib fast asleep. She had a strange feeling wash over but decided ignore it. She slowly lowered her head back down to her pillow and that's when her eyes finally adjusted to the dark so that she could see a figure sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall. Her heart began to beat faster and faster and the only thing she could think about was her kids. She slowly reached over the side of the bed and grabbed the steel bat that she had propped up against the bed since Randy's absence. With a deep breath and quick prayer, she flicked on the bedside lamp to see the tall figure in the chair.

"Randy?…." she asked hoarsely as she tried to regain her composure. His eyes were red and puffy and she could tell that he had been crying. Every angry thing that she had said or felt for him over the past several days flew out the window. She jumped out of bed and knelt beside him as she grabbed one of his hands and stroked his cheek with the other.

"Baby…are you okay? Did something happened to you? Are you hurt?" she kept rambling on.

It took a while but he finally looked up at her and though his face said it all, he had to say it to her.

"I am so sorry…I'm awful. I can't believe I did that to you and the kids. I was just so…." the tears were threatening to spill again and Trish quickly leaned over and embraced him. His arms wrapped around her tightly and despite his anguish, he couldn't help but think of how much he had missed holding her, smelling her, and seeing her. His family was his everything and he had turned his back on them and no matter how much Trish could say she forgives him, Randy knew it was going to take a lot longer for him to forgive himself.

"I would've been here sooner but I couldn't get a flight" he offered as a way of explanation. She didn't let him go, but he could feel her nod her head against his body. When she finally pulled away, their hands remained intact.

"Come on to bed, we can talk in the morning" she offered. With tired eyes and bit of hesitation, he agreed.  
The both laid down on the bed and he instinctively reached over and pulled her close to him as he rested his arm around her tiny waist.

She smiled despite herself. He was finally home and though they still had some talking to do….it was definitely a step in the right direction.

She laughed lightly to herself.

"The kids are going to be jumping off the walls in excitement in the morning when they see that you're home."

"Yeah, I missed them too. I stopped by each of their rooms to see them…I couldn't wait till morning" he replied before kissing the top of her head.

"Trish…."

"Hmmm" she responded as she relaxed in his arms.

"I missed you a lot and I love you more than life itself….and I'm sorry for making you think that my leaving was because of you. You're right. I was a coward. I didn't want to face the situation because I didn't want to stop and think for a second that Josh would one day want his real father. I love him so much and I should've never let my fears complicate everything that I hold dear to me."

Trish let out a giggle as she turned around his arms.

"I guess that just about covers the conversation we were supposed to put off till tomorrow. I forgive you Randy and I should ask for you forg….." Randy quickly put a finger against her lips to quiet her.

"Don't. You've already said your sorry and though I still think what you did was incredibly dangerous and stupid, I can understand why you did it all the same." Trish wordlessly nodded her heard and cuddled herself closer to him. She allowed her heavy lids to close and for the first time, she felt at ease despite all the calamities that surrounded her. She was no longer alone. She had Randy by her side, just like he always has been, and that alone was enough to instil the confidence in her that their family was going to get through everything alright. Now all she had to do was pace herself. She was Trish Stratus….and nobody fucked with Trish Stratus.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Okay, here it is. I've finally updated and I know it's taken me forever but I've been thinking on how I should end this. The next chapter will be the last chapter to this fic. If I put it all together, I'm amazed at how many chapters and words I've written...I could make this into a freakin' book! lol. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy and please read and review. Love ya for it!

I Disclaim

Trish closed her eyes as she raised her hand to her head and massaged her temples. They were heading to court in two days and what she thought would be an easy task proved to be much harder. Adam knew what he was talking about when he had brought up her lack of evidence against him. She had no legal documents or police records to prove that he had in fact raped her and she didn't even have evidence that she had pursued the issue under the law act. These were all vital pieces of information that would've helped make this process a lot quicker and easier but since when is Trish Stratus' life easy? She sat in her chair and listened as Diane went on about warning her about how the lack of documentation could indeed hurt her chances in this case. Not to mention the fact that anyone who was informed about the rape are all coincidently all ex-friends of Adam or have some past with him which would make their testimonies doubtful.

She felt a large hand grabbed her hand from under the table and capture her much smaller hand. She felt the gentle squeeze before she looked his way. She allowed a small awkward smile to pass her lips but she knew that he didn't need to see her pretend to be strong. He knew how much this was tearing her up inside but she wouldn't never let anyone see her crack and fall to pieces. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her head as he brought her closer and held her tightly. Diane watched the couple with interest as she spoke. She could only imagine how hard it must be for the two to have to go through with this. She had a lot of work ahead of her and she only had two days to do it.

"Listen guys…I think I've debriefed you on everything that you need to know for now so I'll see you guys the morning of your court day. We're going to go over procedures and strategy and uh…the only thing I can offer you guys right now is to get plenty of rest. I know that's going to be very hard but at this point, you've given all the information that I need and now I really need to find some last minute miracle that's going to guarantee that the both of you will keep your son."

"So you're not all that confident with what we have?" Randy asked hesitantly.

"Well…we have the truth and the truth is on your side. But it's a matter of convincing the judge. Right now, the plan is that we're scheduled for a custody hearing…not a rape case. We're going to have to try and win this case solely on the custody issue and why Adam doesn't deserve to be anywhere near this child. We have to make sure that we don't implement the rape too much into the subject of the case. We need to find a balance between both issues and the best way to do that is to find a witness that could testify to Adam's inappropriate behaviour and it has to be someone who has some sort of leverage in being able to really say if Adam would be a suitable parent to Joshua. If the judge should deny us, then our only option left is to make an appeal and raise the issue of your rape and that will lead into an even more complicated series of events so I'm really hoping to avoid a trail case because there's the possibility that if things should escalate that far, Joshua will be sent to social services or responsible guardians that he is familiar throughout the duration of the trial." Diane didn't miss the look of panic on Trish's face but she couldn't let her client hold false hopes. They deserved to know the truth and Diane wasn't about giving anything but the truth.

She watched Trish rise from her seat along with her husband. She grabbed on to his hand and held on tightly before mustering up an appreciative smile towards Diane.

"Thank you so much for all the work you've put into helping us. It really is appreciated. Um…we're gonna get going but um…hope you find that miracle, I really do." Trish quickly wiped away a tear that was threatening to spill. She quickly gave Diane a hug and hurried out the door with Randy. Diane's eyes watched them leave her office but as soon as the two figures disappeared, her eyes immediately darted to the stacks of files that covered her desktop. She noticed a blue manila folder that was kind of sticking out to the side.

"Hey Cindy…" she called out to her secretary. Moments later, the secretary appeared at her office door.

"Yes?"

"Where did that folder come from?" Diane questioned.

"Oh, someone came by earlier and said that they were aware of your case with Stratus-Copeland case and they said that they some information that they thought would be of interest to you. They left a contact number inside and mentioned that if you should need anything else, to contact them."

"Did they leave they're name?" Diane asked curiously as she picked up the folder and eyed it curiously. She was a bit hesitant to open it up and read the findings inside.

"No…but I think they did mention that they recorded their name, number and address on of the papers inside the folder."

"Thank you, Cindy. That's all for now."

The moment her secretary left, Diane immediately shut her office door and took a seat behind her desk.

"Well….what do we have here?"

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"Hey guys…how was the meeting?" Matt asked as he allowed his two friends inside. Randy gave him a look that said it all.

"I know it's hard not to worry, but I have faith that you guys will be able to pull this off and get Adam out of your life once and for all" Matt reassured them. Trish just sighed and threw her shoes in the corner before plopping down on Amy's couch.

"Where's Amy?" Trish asked as Matt handed her and Randy a beer.

"Oh, she was putting all the kids down to sleep. We figured you guys would've had a hectic day so we set up beds in the master bedroom for all the kids and Amy and I are gonna sleep in Justin's bedrooms and you guys can have the guest bedroom all to yourselves. You guys need to unwind…."

"Awww, thanks Matt, we really appreciate that" Trish replied genuinely. She did need some alone time with her husband. They had a lot to think about and right now, he was the best thing to keeping her calm.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Amy walked into the den.

"Is everything in order?" Amy asked as she plopped down next to Trish and opened up a container of Haagen-Daz ice cream. She plopped one spoon into the ice cream and she handed the other one to Trish.

"Dig in…I'm sure you need it and frankly so do I" Amy chuckled.

"Thanks Ames. I can imagine how tired you are from taking care of the kids all day. Thank you so much for watching our kids for us. I know they can be a handful at times….were they much trouble for you?" Trish asked.

"Naw, they weren't bad. It's just seems like when you put five kids together, the excitement between them builds up their adrenaline much like how sugar does" Amy laughed.

"Speaking of sugar…." Randy interrupted. "Where are our ice creams?" he asked with a pout. Matt agreed and they both began pouting together. The women just laughed before taking big spoonfuls and stuffing it in their husband's mouths. Of course, most of it didn't actually make its way inside their mouths.

"Hey…." Randy said as he grabbed a napkin and began wiping his mouth off.

"At least I managed to get some into your mouth so don't complain" Trish said with a giggle. For the moment, her and Randy were going to let themselves have some unwinding time. As much as the next two days weighed on their minds, they were going to go crazy if they didn't try and enjoy something even if it was something as little as ice cream.

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The Next Day…..

Diane stood outside the motel room door and waited patiently for its temporary owner to answer.

"Come on…answer the door please" Diane begged softly to herself. Her prayers were answered shortly after when she was met with a pair of dark brown eyes.

"Hi, I'm Diane…."

"I know who you are" the person interrupted her.

"I guess you do need my help after all."

Diane stared at the figure standing before her…possibly the only person that could give her all the information that she needed to win this case.

"Come in….I'll answer any questions you have" and with that Diane entered the motel room and prayed that fate had lead her to the right place.

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Trish Stratus hated the feeling of being useless. She hated being in a predicament and knowing there was nothing more that she could do to help the situation. Trish sighed deeply as she ran a hand through her blonde mane and looked out the window from her seat on the cushioned bay window that was situated in the corner of Matt and Amy's guest bedroom. She had felt just a tiny bit relaxed earlier being able to sit down and talk about something else other than the their custody problems. The more she was around the people she loved, the more she felt confident that things would be alright. However, that reassurance would quickly leave when she was left alone to contemplate her thoughts.

What if she and Randy lost custody of Josh to Adam? What if it was just naïve thoughts that made her believe that they actually stood a chance against Adam in this case?

Her thoughts were interrupted by the adjoined bathroom door opening up to reveal and shirtless Randy donned only in a pair of white sweat pants. She didn't turn her attention away from the view of outside but she knew that he was approaching so she instinctively moved forward so that he could sit behind her. He did exactly that and then pulled her closer so that she was laying against him, arms wrapped around her as he rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"You're worrying more than you let on…" he said quietly. She wanted to respond but she knew that there was no need. He wasn't asking, he was telling her and she knew that he was very right in his observation. She sat silently in his arms for a few minutes before he spoke again.

"I think we should tell him…" Randy whispered to her. Confusion set in and Trish got up and turned around in his arms to look at her husband.

"Tell who what? What are you talking about?" she asked.

She could tell that Randy was serious and she could tell that whatever it was, was hard for him to deal with.

"We need to tell Josh that I'm not his real father" Randy said straight to the point. Trish was about to object but Randy put a finger to her lips.

"I know you say that we should wait till he understands but baby…right now, we have to think logically. There's a chance that Adam just might win this custody case and if he does and we wait till then to tell Josh the truth, we both know that he'll hate us for keeping it from him. He's old enough to understand…he's ready Trish."

Her heart broke as she watched the man she loved struggle to keep his composure. His eyes began to moisten up and she instinctively wiped the tears before they began to fall down his cheek. When she was done, she rested her hand against his cheek.

"But are you ready?" she asked hoarsely. He didn't answer but slightly shrugged his shoulders. She looked at him for a while as he just stared out the window, really thinking about what could happen when Josh found out the truth.

"My feelings don't matter at this point. It's Josh I'm worried about" he said finally as he returned his gaze to his wife.

"I think we should tell him now" he said. Trish looked at him in surprise.

"Are you serious? Don't you at least want to go over what we should say?" she asked incredulously.

Randy shook his head.

"It's not something that needs to be rehearsed. However we say it isn't gonna make it sound better. Please…." he begged. She simply nodded her head. She informed him that she would go get Josh and she quickly left the room. She could tell that the kids were still awake because she could her all the noise coming from Matt and Amy's bedroom.

She opened the door to see Amy coming out of the bathroom followed by Emma. Amy looked up and smiled.

"I just had to refill the toilet paper" she laughed. Trish let out a small giggle and then her expression turned to one of uncertainty. Being best friends for five years wasn't lost on Amy. She knew something was wrong…something other than the upcoming court battle. Trish gave her a tiny smile before turning her attention to Josh.

"Josh sweetie, you dad and I want to talk to you about something" Trish said gently. It instantly dawned on Amy and she quickly mouthed a 'good luck' to her friend.

"Am I in trouble mom? If aunty Amy told you about me breaking the vase in the hallway I already told her I was sorry…" Josh babbled on. Trish's eyes darted to Amy and both women couldn't help but laugh at his incessant rambling. Trish interrupted him.

"You're not in trouble." Josh looked at her for a second then looked at Amy and then back at his mom.

"Oh…okay. Well then, just forget the thing about the vase okay" he said and then started out the room, his mom following him, leaving behind a room full of kids and his aunt Amy laughing.

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Josh entered his parents room and jumped on the bed and slid right next to his father.

"Hey dad" he said as he snuggled up to next to him.

"Hey kiddo…did you brush your teeth yet?" Randy asked.

"Uh huh…aunt Amy made sure that we all had our milk and brushed our teeth." He then turned to his mom who had, by now, taken a seat next to him so that he was sandwiched in between his parents.

"Sweetie…there's something that we need to tell you and it might be hard for you to understand right now" Trish began.

The look of worry on Josh's face broke her heart but it needed to be done.

"Do you remember Adam?…" she questioned gently.

Josh bit his bottom lip and nodded his head slowly.

"You mean Mr. C?" he asked. He looked at both his parents as they nodded their heads.

Trish stumbled over her words after his response…not knowing how to further approach the subject. Randy saw his wife's struggle and he jumped in.

"Josh…before you were born, Adam….he hurt your mom and it's a little hard to explain but he did some things that hurt your mother very deeply. Well…for reasons that you'll learn when you're older, your mother became pregnant with you." Randy stopped to look at Josh's face as he took it all in.

"I think Emma had explained something like this to me when we were watching a TV show" Josh replied quietly.

"She told me that sometimes guys do things to girls that they don't want to do and they end up hurting them…but that's all she said." Josh bit his bottom lip before continuing.

"Is that what you guys mean?" he asked, his voice now quivering. He looked at the solemn expression on his father's face before looking at his mom and recognizing tears in her eyes. He saw her barely nod her head, confirming his thoughts. The tears began to fall quickly and he huddled next to his mother.

"Mom, if I know that Mr. C had hurt you, I would've never made friends with him" he cried into his mother's chest and she tried to calm him down.

"Sweetie, there's more" Randy informed him as stroked the top of his son's head. Trish leaned back so that she could look at her little boy. If there was anything more painful than this very moment, she never wanted to find out because she could barely contain all the pain, anxiety, hurt and sorrow she felt at that very moment. She hurt more for her son than for herself. She was protect him and right now, it didn't seem like she was doing a very good job but she knew it had to be done before it was too late.

"I don't know how to say this…" Trish struggled for words. Randy decided that he would tell Josh and wrapped his arms around the shaken little boy. He brought him closer to him and held him close.

"You know I love you right?" Randy asked. He looked down to see Josh nodded his head quickly without hesitation.

"And you know that I would go to the ends of the earth for you and no matter what, that would never change" he continued on. Josh continued to nod his head but this time, he looked up into his father's eyes.

All the vulnerability and helpless in his son's eyes….he couldn't do it.

"I just want you to remember, that in life, showing someone you love them means more than just saying it. We should always be careful of the things we say, but it's even more important that we be careful of the things we do as well because actions speak louder than words….I would love you more than life itself, even if I didn't have to" Randy chuckled a bit but he meant every word of it.

Randy looked over at Trish who had a look of confusion on her face. They weren't going to lose him, there was simply no way they were going to give him to Adam, even if he had to kill Adam himself and spend the rest of his life rotting in a jail cell, he was his father and no DNA test could tell him differently.

Josh looked at the eyeful exchanges between his parents before placing his head on the pillow and looking up at the both of them. Moments later, Trish placed her head down on the pillow on one side of him while Randy did the same on the other side.

"Can I sleep here with you guys tonight?" he asked his father. Randy chuckled as Trish smiled through her heavy eyes lids as they threatened to close. They hadn't told him, but the conversation had given her the boost she needed to believe that there was no way that she would lose her son…God would make sure of it.

"Of course you can…as long as you can take your mother's snoring." Josh laughed along with his father and his laugher increased when he noticed a pillow fly across him and hit his dad in the face.

"I DO NOT snore!" Trish said, her eyes popping open for the few moments to emphasize the negative. It was a lighthearted moment between the three.

"Hey dad…" Josh said as he lazily threw either hand over his parents.

"Yeah kiddo…"

"Just so you know…I'd still think you were the bestest dad in the whole world…even if I didn't have to" he giggled a bit as he used his father's words.

They both laughed.

"That's good to know….just promise me you'll remember what I said" Randy turned a bit serious.

"I promise dad." "Your mother's pretty quiet over there" Randy said. He lifted his head to look over as his son turned his head, only to see Trish curled up and fast asleep.

"I guess we should go to sleep too then, huh?" Randy suggested.

Josh rubbed his tired eyes and nodded before simply closing his eyes. Randy took a moment to look at his wife and son….they were going to stay together, even if that meant Adam having to pay with his blood. He and Trish weren't going to lose their son and if he had to, he'd make sure of it.

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	7. Chapter 7

AN: Yay! I finally did, lol. I finished the fic and there will be no third installment so I hope you like it. I want thank all of you guys who reviewed and kept me going with my updates...even if I did make you wait a long time for them, lol. Thank you so much and I hope you guys enjoy the very last chapter of this entire adventure. And ya know what to do...read and review! Hahahaha, that rhymes, lol.

I Disclaim

The dampened and foggy air held so much comparison to what Trish was feeling as she sat in the passenger side of the car and fiddled with her hands helplessly. Every so often, Randy would reach over and place a comforting hand on hers to stop her nerves from getting out of control while Matt and Amy would reassure that things would be okay. She loved her friends with all her heart and trusted them with her life, but even know, it was hard to let herself believe what they were saying. She was sure that if they were honest with themselves as well, they probably didn't believe in everything they were saying. Both Trish and Randy's parents had flew in to North Carolina to watch the kids and while her father had insisted on coming with them, she assured him that Randy would help her through. She had walked through the front door towards the car, when she heard her father tell thank Randy. Randy was a bit confused by the appreciative gesture by her father and asked him for what. Despite her troubles, she couldn't help but smile at his response.

"All those years ago, you had promised that you would love and stand by my daughter no matter what. Even with another man's child that you've raised as your own, you're still here by her side and you've been her rock through it all. As any father can wish that they're daughters find a good man, I'm proud to say that my daughter was one of the lucky ones."

Trish stopped by the car and continued to watch the exchange. Randy turned to look at her and smiled before turning around back to her father.

"No dad….I'm the lucky one."

Both men embraced and Randy quickly jogged down the steps and made his way towards Trish. Everyone then packed into the car and began their dreaded journey to discover what fate had in store.

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"Mr. Copeland, are you sure you want to do this?" the Judge asked once more as he eyed the tall blonde from above his eyeglasses.

Adam nodded his head before picking up the pen and signing the document. He looked over at Diane and the figure beside her. He certainly didn't anticipate all of this but once again, his bad actions seemed to have caught up with him. He desperately wanted to be a better person but he had wanted that with Trish and their son. He knew she was happy with Randy and her children but why didn't she get that he wasn't happy without her? He had taken one too many steps over the line and now he would have to spend the rest of his life in regret for what he had done to her. There was no way to make it better….or maybe there was.

"Mr. Copeland…." Judge Brown's voice broke the walls of Adam's thoughts.

"Yes, Judge Brown…"

"Do you have any final words you would like to say before we wrap this up?" the Judge offered. Adam shook his head but and the moment he did so, Diane shot out of her chair to make so that she could make an important phone call.

"Wait….actually there is something I wanna say" Adam declared. Diane turned around and shot him a curious glance before sitting back in her chair, a little disheartened that her call would have to further be put on hold.

He turned his attention to Diane.

"Can you give her a message for me?" Adam asked. He didn't say her name but there were three people in the room that knew exactly who "she" was. Diane nodded her head for him to continue.

"Tell her I'm sorry….for everything. I wanted us to be a family and I thought that having Josh in my life would mean she would be forced to be around me as well. I guess I got a little too wishful into thinking that with enough time, she'd see how much I still love her and just maybe she'd fall in love with me again. That's all I wanted. I just wanted her to love me the way I love her" he choked on his words and as the tears stung his eyes, Diane couldn't help but revel in the depth of the situation. He had done it all for love and while she had only seen it in the movies, Adam was living proof that the words can mirror life. Love can truly drive you to do crazy things. She would never condone anything that Adam had put Trish and her family through, but in his twisted mind, that's what he needed to do to win her back and on some level….deep down, she felt a pang of sympathy for him. Under all of his insane and vicious actions….there was meaning there and it was a true shame how he handled it all.

"I'll tell her" Diane promised and then got up and left the room. She quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number. Four times and she was still getting the voicemail. This wasn't the type of message you leave on a answering machine. She gave up dialing for fifteen minutes so that she could catch a quick and very late breakfast. After she finished, she once again pulled our her cell and began her umpteenth attempt at getting through when she suddenly heard her name being called. She looked towards the entrance of the court house to see Trish, Randy and their friends Matt and Amy walking down the corridor towards her. She quickened her step to meet them halfway.

One she finally reached them, she quickly shared a hug with Trish.

"Okay….so what are our chances?" Trish asked, quickly getting to the point.

"Actually, I received a little insider's tip on my desk two days ago after our meeting but I didn't contact you guys because I wasn't sure who the source was and if it was anything reliable enough….I didn't want to get your hopes up."

Trish nodded her head in understanding as she prodded Diane to get on with it.

"Guys….the case is closed" Diane said.

The four individuals in front of her all held the same expression of shock.

"What?….Don't tell me he won the case! Wait….how could you guys have the case trial without us there?" Trish asked half confused and half in anger.

"Relax….that insiders tip I mentioned….it turned out to be pretty valuable. The person agreed to testify on your behalf and since they had a pretty good story for the judge, I decided to contact Adam and have a quick meeting with him and his lawyer. When my witness presented her story, Adam informed his client that he would withdraw from the case seeing as how my witness would have killed his chances at winning the case. We called the judge in to make the final authorization and with the proper documents, it was signed, sealed and official….we won the case!" Diane said enthusiastically.

At first, Trish stood mouth agape. Everything was a lot to take in, but the moment she felt Randy squeeze her hand, the reality was sinking in. They had made it through it all and they had won! She leapt forward and straight into Diane's arms. She murmured thank you several times as she finally let the tears overcome her….except this time, they were tears of joy. Diane pulled away from her and quietly asked her for a minute of her time. Trish informed them that she was going to talk to Diane for a minute before both women moved away from the little crowd and to a quieter corner not too far away.

"Adam wanted me to give you a message." Diane pulled out a tape recorder and handed it to Trish.

"I recorded the session in case you wanted to hear it all. Adam's message is at the one hour and fifteen minute mark. I think it'll be better if you hear it for yourself" she said.

Trish nodded her head and looked down at the tiny device that held all the answers of how God answered her prayers.

"Where is he?" Trish asked as her eyes darted around the building. Her eyes quickly landed on Randy and her friends talking

"He left about ten minutes ago" Diane replied. She took a moment to survey the woman in front of her before asking her question.

"I know this may be too personal for me to ask and I won't be offended if you don't want to answer it….but, am I wrong in assuming that somewhere deep down, there's a part of you that still loves Adam?"

It might've sounded like a stupid question to any casual stranger who knew only the basics of Trish's relationship with Adam, but to Trish, the question made a lot of sense.

"Adam is a shell of the man that he once was. A man that left me with some really bad memories…but also left some really good ones as well. He was the first man I've been with that made me feel like I deserved the world and before Randy, I prayed everyday that I could somehow find the right love to offer Adam in return so that we could be together again. A part of me will always love Adam….but not the Adam that I've seen these past months, and not the Adam that had hurt me all those years ago. But the Adam that would have moved heaven and earth to show me how much he loved me in the most caring and loving way. The Adam that wasn't just a boyfriend but one of my best friends." Trish sighed as she looked up from the ground with tears slowly making its way down her face.

"Is it so wrong to feel that way after all he's done to me?" she asked helplessly.

Diane shook her head.

"You've spent so much time with him and while you were together, you got to see a side of him that not many got to see very often. I think you're heart wants to remember him as that guy, even if you're mind can't forget all the bad things."

"I just wished that things didn't have to end this way" Trish said as she quickly dabbed at her eyes with a tissue that Diane had offered her.

"That's perfectly understandable….Hey, why don't we head back to where the gang is?" Diane suggested. Trish gladly agreed to the idea.

Once they returned to the group, Randy turned to Diane.

"Thank you so much for all that you've done." He quickly embraced her and pulled back.

"No need to thank me….I can't explain it really, but there's something about you guys that I feel very attached to….I made this case a lot more personal than I usually do for my others and I think it's because you're wife reminds me a lot of myself" Diane laughed. Randy shared in the good natured comment before Trish interrupted them.

"Hey Diane….Amy and I just realized something…you mentioned a mystery witness….who is it?" Trish inquired.

"Um….they said that I didn't need to reveal their identity because they were just doing what was right" Diane replied.

"Yeah, well….this mystery person is the very reason why we still have our son" Trish said as Randy nodded in agreement.

"I want meet this person, Diane….please" Trish pleaded.

"Okay, hold on". Trish watched as Diane walked down the corridor and opened up a door and disappeared behind it.

Ten minutes passed and Trish was beginning to wonder if Diane had forgotten that they were waiting outside. However, moments later, Diane stepped out and motioned for all of them to approach. They all made their way down the hall and into the room and the sight before them left all four of them in shock. Sitting in one of the several chairs that was placed along the executive table sat the one person none of them expected. Amy was the first one to recover from the surprise and found her voice.

"Gail…..?"

Gail Kim gave them a small smile and quietly and even shyly responded,

"Hi guys…."

The room was silent for a moment before Trish stepped forward out of Randy's embrace. Gail immediately stood up when she saw Trish near her. She looked into the blonde's eyes and she saw the look of confusion and relief.

"Why?" was all that Trish could manage to say.

Gail sighed since she knew that Trish was going to ask her this very same question though the answer was quite simple.

"Trish….in the past, I've been really good at being a bitch. I was rude, insulting and I even seduced Randy while the two of you were trying to get together." Gail quickly darted her eyes Randy's way who didn't say anything but simply waited for her to continue.

"I lied, I cheated, I manipulated you and Randy and yet when my son was sitting in a hospital with the very good chance of dying, you saved him Trish….without any reason to do it….you saved him." Gail's tears couldn't help but fall and her voice grew even quieter so that Amy, Matt and Randy who weren't standing as close to her as Trish was, struggled to hear her words.

"Kevin has become my life…he's made me want to be a better person and I have become a better person because of him….for him. I can look in a mirror and be happy with the person I see staring back at me and it's all because of him….and you. You gave me back my son Trish…..and now I've given you back yours. It's my way of saying sorry and thank you,….for everything."

Gail waited for Trish to respond but rather than words, she was enveloped into a tight hug.

"Thank you so much Gail….you don't know how much this means to us" Trish whispered.

"Oh but I do….and that's why I had to do it" she replied as both women let go of the hug.

Randy stepped forward and slightly turned his head to the side.

"Really Gail….without you, I don't know if we would've have been able walk away from this trial with Joshua's custody papers. Thank you."

Gail nodded her head, before responding.

"Randy…about everything, I'm sor…."

"Forget about it…it's all in the past. We've all moved on and I think your actions have shown that you are in fact sorry for everything" he interrupted her.

Everyone in the room nodded their head in agreement before a long silence fell between them. Gail cleared her throat and was the first one to break it.

"Uhhh….I need to catch a flight back home to Toronto. I left Kevin home with my mom and I know he can be a handful" she giggled.

Trish laughed,

"Well, Randy and I have a home in Toronto where we go in the summertime with the kids and Matt and Amy come along with their family as well. Maybe we could meet up some time. Josh loves Kevin's company from what he tells me" Trish smiled.

"You know what, I'd love that." Gail pulled out a pen and paper and quickly scribbled on it before handing it to Trish.

"That's my number….whenever you're in town, gimme a call. It was nice seeing you guys again after so long" she said before heading to the door.

"Hey Gail" Trish called out. Gail turned around and smiled,

"I know….and you're welcome" and with that she was gone.

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It was past midnight as Trish stood at the bay window of the master bedroom that she and Randy shared. It had been so long since they had been home that she reveled in the simplicity of being around something familiar. Matt and Amy had been more than gracious to her and her family but coming back home with her family was the perfect to come full circle. She looked down at the tiny tape recorder that she rested on the window seat. The same tape recorder she listened to more than three times. The same tape recorder that held Adam's message….one she listened to more than fifteen times since their arrival home. She believed he was sorry, but an apology wasn't going to change Adam and the scary thing was, Trish wasn't sure what would.

She felt a pair of hands sneak around her waist and she braced back as she just relaxed in the embrace.

"Did you have a good nap?" Randy asked. She nodded against his bare chest.

"I've been awake for almost three hours….I was listening to the tape of the session that Diane recorded and gave to me. Adam wanted to give me a message" Trish said.

"I know….I overheard it while I came to check on you a couple of hours ago….how many times have you listened to it?" Randy asked with a small smile.

"Too many times" Trish laughed. She turned in his arms and snuck her hands around his neck.

"You know….it's been awhile since we were able to enjoy each other's company" she suggested playfully. Randy raised an eyebrow as he sent her his famous smirk. He quickly lifted her in his arms and threw her on the bed before laying down on top. Their lips met in a sweet kiss at first which quickly turned passionate. As their hands roamed over one another's body, Randy was about to remove the tank top that stood between him and Trish's bare skin, however, a knock at the door quickly pulled them apart. Both flushed and a little needy for more desperately answered the call.

"Come in…." Trish called out.

When the door opened, Trish and Randy saw their kids file into the room. Emma held Noah in her arms as Josh trotted along beside them.

"And what can we help you little people with" Randy laughed.

Emma looked to her brother who motioned for her to talk.

"Well, you guys have been pretty busy for the past couple of months and we haven't really got to spend much time with you….can we sleep with you guys tonight and you guys tell us stories like you usually do?" Emma asked innocently. Randy grabbed a pillow and placed it over his aroused member while Trish laughed at his antics.

"Sure….hop in the bed" Trish said as Josh and Emma jumped in between herself and Randy. Noah was settled on Randy's stomach, sucking his thumb. Trish would admit that she was looking forward to some along time with Randy, but looking at her family now….she couldn't complain or ask for anything more. They were together and that's all that matter to them.

An hour and half later….

Trish and Randy laughed as they remember the prank that Matt had played on Amy the first Halloween as a married couple. The two of them were so caught up in the story telling that they didn't stop after the kids had fallen asleep a half hour ago.

Randy said something and Trish laughed out loud to which Randy reached over and covered her mouth with his arm so that the kids didn't wake up. Trish quickly quieted down before hopping out of bed and running out of the room. She quickly came back, rolling Noah's crib in front of her. She placed the crib next to the bed before picking Noah up from off of Randy's stomach and placing him in the crib. After she tucked him in, she made the rounds for Emma and Josh as well before she came around to Randy's side of the bed.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him up as she led him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he allowed her to pull him through the house. She opened the guest bedroom and sent him a naughty smirk.

"We're going to finish off what we started earlier" and with that she pulled him into the room and closed the door behind them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Adam sat at his desk as his mind muddled over everything he had written in the letter that he sent to both Gail and Trish. He had mailed the letters two hours ago and now all he had to do was to go through with the rest of his plan. He looked at the row of pictures that sat on his desk. Pictures of Kevin and even some with Kevin and Josh that he had taken. But most of the pictures were of he and Trish….before everything had gone so wrong. He looked at the face in the picture frame smiling back at him and he broke down. It was no longer tears, but loud, heavy sobs that escaped his body while his body shook with emotion. He was a monster who had hurt the one person he had vowed to love and protect forever. He had lost it all. He lost Trish, he lost his chances to be with Josh, he had even lost Kevin to his new "daddy" at least that's what Kevin called his mother's fiancée. No one needed him but it seemed as he desperately needed someone or something to keep afloat.

The silver colored object stared back at him for some time before he had the courage to pick it up. He rose from his seat behind the desk and made his way to the bed where he laid down. He pressed the sharp silver point to each of his wrists and slit them.

"I'm sorry Trish….I'm so sorry" he kept murmuring as he allowed the darkness to take over him as he slowly slipped away from the world to which he no longer belonged in. He would finally show her how much he loved her….by protecting her from the very essence to which caused her danger and sadness.

As the minutes ticked away and her name died on his lips, without the selfish temptations that the world around him had taunted him with, Adam Copeland could now be happy that the love of his life was happy as well. He knew that in another life, they would meet up again and next time he knew that he'd much rather have her friendship than nothing at all. Until then….life would go on without him.


End file.
